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Monday, September 24, 2012

Introducing the MB154SP-B, a 4-in-3 SATA internal RAID backplane for 3.5” SATA hard drives. This is a lite version of the MB45X seriesby removing the monitoring features and reducing the overall cost, while keeping the same 3 year warranty and the core tray system for hot swapping and maintenance are kept for the best reliability in the market.

Slimmed Down Design

The MB154SP-B has been redesigned to be a lighter module, while maintaining the same level of quality, build, and service you’d expect from an Icy Dock product. While the design has gone through some changes, the space saving design is still established. The backplane module allows up to 4 x 3.5” SATA III hard drives, while only consuming three 5.25” bays. The module has also been redesigned for the type of power connector accepted. 15 pin SATA power is used to provide better accessibility for various host systems.

Efficient Cooling

Along with being a lighter package, the cooling has been improved to provide better air flow to your hard drives. The MB154SP-B uses a full metal body that allows for the best heat dissipation possible in various types of applications. In addition, our enhanced direct air flow design allows the included cooling fan to raise its efficiency to cool down your hard drives, by closing and rerouting any side vents to route incoming air directly to the cooling fan, as well as sealing any vents around the fan for better cooling efficiency. In addition, the backplane logic PCB has larger vents in key areas to allow more air to flow into and exit the MB154SP-B, making it an ideal system to store and cool your hard drives.

The included 80mm cooling fan also can be easily replaced and maintained, as the unit it can be fully removed and replaced with aftermarket cooling fans of the same size. To expand the range of compatible fans, both 2 and 3 pin fan power ports are available and can be easily accessed.

No Hassle Maintenance

The MB154SP-B has kept the same interchangeable EZ-Tray used in MB45X, MB559 and MB561 series. This allows you to continue to use the same trays from these series, or our compatible external 3.5” models without any issues regarding switching to new designs. The EZ-Tray accepts most 3.5” SATA hard drives and is very easy to install / remove to the device in two steps – press the release button and pull / push the lever. This allows for easy replacement in case of RAID failure or transporting of data.

Introducing the MB153SP-B, a 3-in-2 SATA internal RAID backplane for 3.5” SATA hard drives. This is a lite version of theMB45X series by removing the monitoring features and reducing the overall cost, while keeping the same 3 year warranty and the core tray system for hot swapping and maintenance are kept for the best reliability in the market.

Slimmed Down Design

TheMB153SP-B has been redesigned to be a lighter module, while maintaining the same level of quality, build, and service you’d expect from an Icy Dock product. While the design has gone through some changes, the space saving design is still established. The backplane module allows up to 3 x 3.5” SATA III hard drives, while only consuming two 5.25” bays. The module has also been redesigned for the type of power connector accepted. 15 pin SATA power is used to provide better accessibility for various host systems.

Efficient Cooling

Along with being a lighter package, the cooling has been improved to provide better air flow to your hard drives. The MB153SP-B uses a full metal body that allows for the best heat dissipation possible in various types of applications. In addition, our enhanced direct air flow design allows the included cooling fan to raise its efficiency to cool down your hard drives, by closing and rerouting any side vents to route incoming air directly to the cooling fan, as well as sealing any vents around the fan for better cooling efficiency. In addition, the backplane logic PCB has larger vents in key areas to allow more air to flow into and exit theMB153SP-B, making it an ideal system to store and cool your hard drives.

The included 80mm cooling fan also can be easily replaced and maintained, as the unit it can be fully removed and replaced with aftermarket cooling fans of the same size. To expand the range of compatible fans, both 2 and 3 pin fan power ports are available and can be easily accessed.

No Hassle Maintenance

The MB153SP-B has kept the same interchangeable EZ-Tray used in MB45X, MB559 and MB561 series. This allows you to continue to use the same trays from these series, or our compatible external 3.5” models without any issues regarding switching to new designs. The EZ-Tray accepts most 3.5” SATA hard drives and is very easy to install / remove to the device in two steps – press the release button and pull / push the lever. This allows for easy replacement in case of RAID failure or transporting of data.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The newest update to the Macbook now includes USB 3.0 in addition to USB 2.0 ports. This change is mainly made for storage devices and Mac users that would be significantly benefit from the speed and flexibility of USB 3.0 interface. From the specification, USB 3.0 is 12x faster than FireWire 400, 10x faster than USB 2.0, and as much as 6x faster than FireWire 800. This is more than enough for everyday tasks, meanwhile being very capable in handling intense demands, such as video editing, data backup, and large file transfers. The USB 3.0 interface is backward compatible with USB 2.0, so you can use your USB 3.0 storage device with any PC or Mac system that has USB 2.0 port. Compared to thunderbolt, there is a more selection for USB 3.0 products for you to choose from and they all very cost friendly when compared to thunderbolt. This guide gives you an idea of how to select your USB 3.0 storage solution for your Macbook Air & Macbook Pro.

Ultra Slim Body with Removable EZ-Tray – The MB559U3 Series

Who needs it?- Video & Audio Professionals, photographers who needs to swap and transport drives often- Anyone that is looking for a stylish and unique external hard drive enclosure

If you’re looking for protection, portability, and removable drive capabilities then look no further than the MB559U3S series. This external enclosure has been designed with a form fitting aluminum body for your hard drive, providing durable and strong exterior as well as great heat dissipation. It is also very portable and can be taken or placed almost anywhere, due to the minimal design and low profile power adapter. The device can either be stacked horizontally with included rubber pads or vertically with expandable foot stands, in any type of workspace. Also included is the removable hot-swap tray for effortless swapping and maintenance in mere seconds. Because of the EZ-tray, expanding capacity is just as simple - all that is needed is another hard drive with an extra tray. Not only that, your hard drive can be also easily transferred or swapped to our other compatible Icy Dock products such as the MB453, MB454, MB455, and MB561US-4S-1. There are two color options available in black (MB559U3S-1SB) and silver white (MB559U3S-1S).

Superior Hard Drive Cooling – The MB080 Blizzard Series

Who needs it?- Anyone who uses a large capacity or high performance hard drive as their primary drive to save their important data to it

According to National Instruments, “A 5°C increase in temperature could reduce the life of a hard drive by up to two years”. We also know that once the drive temperature hit the mid-60°C the sequential write speed can drop to ~50MB/s from 130MB/s from testing by Anandtech.com. Making sure that your hard drive is cool at all times can prevent heat problems to in the long term, which can lead to unexpected drive failures if left unchecked. The Blizzard series is able to accomplish this by using a massive 80mm cooling fan to cools all sides of the hard drive. One result had mentioned that the Blizzard runs 3°C cooler than dual 80mm fan Thermaltake Max 5G under idle and keeps the hard drive temperature close to ambient temperature as possible.

In addition to the cooling fan, the Blizzard series is equipped with a fan controller with auto, high and low modes, respectively. There is also a built in ambient LED notification from blue to red, when the temperature of the enclosure reaches 50C. This will let you choose the appropriate mode in various situations, while also providing you crucial information about your hard drive. The hassle-free and tool-less drive installation makes it simple to any non-technical savvy users in installing and swapping the hard drives with ease. The Blizzard has a USB 3 (MB080U3S-1SB) and a FireWire 800 model (MB080USEB-1SB) available to cater to different types of users.

Universally Accessible – The MB981 & MB881 Series

Who needs it?- Anyone that has multiple hard drives in different interface and size

You have couple terabytes of movie collections but in spread into different hard drives? You have many 2.5” hard drives from your old laptop or portable external hard drive? Trying to access precious pictures from your 10 year old IDE (ATA) hard drive? The ICY DOCK USB 3.0 HDD dock let you access your drives within seconds. And it’s easier than doing laundry.

It takes 2.5”/3.5” SATA hard drive and SSD. This docking station has unique elements such as power buttons on the dock that double as status LEDs, 2 part anti-dust cover, and an easy to press large eject button. An eSATA interface is built into the device for when you are on your PC system that has eSATA, to get similarly great performance.

If you are mobile or require a device that saves space, the MB881U3-1SA with its slim form factor, low profile power adapter, SATA / IDE support and eye-catching design, it is a convenient solution for 3.5”/2.5” drives & SSDs. The design of the MB881U3-1SA features greater portability with its detachable stand to have the unit be placed lying flat to save even more space.

If you need a way to dock, take your hard drive mobile, or IDE drive support is needed, theMB981U3-1SA is the most suitable choice, with the ability to be used as a docking station or a mobile adapter. This is from its detachable mobile adapter built underneath theMB981U3-1SA. Along with 3.5”/2.5” SATA compatibility, it also carries IDE support for 3.5”/2.5” form factor, making it the best choice to handle most drives.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Over the last couple of years I have found the need for removable hard drives and USB hard drives just won't cut it. USB hard drives typically transfer data at a fraction of the speeds that SATA 3 or SATA 6. Not only have I found my self in the need for a hot swap hard drive or two, but OK well, I am a little vain and I want it to look good as well. With so many of todays cases taking on a futuristic look the plain jane drive caddy just isn't going to cut it for me. Not only do I want it to look good I also want blistering performance. It's nice to have cake and eat it too, no? Enter Icy Dock, Icy Dock has been around for more than a decade and specialized in the design, manufacture and distribution of stroage enclosure peripherals. Icy Dock makes products for all levels of computing, from home PC docks all the way up to enterprise SAS backplanes.

Today we will be taking a look at three of Icy Docks products; The MB971SP-B DuoSwap 2.5"/3.5" SATA hot swap drive caddy, the MB974SP-B 4 in 3 SATA internal RAID backplane, and the MB882SP-1S-2B 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & SATA hard drive converter................read the full review